Bedstead attached cervical traction means



G. COBB lApril 22, 1958 BEDSTEAD ATTACHED CERVICAL TRACTION MEANS FiledNov. 25, 1955 GEORGE CQBB W *Kga/vzw l ATTQELNEYS United States Patent OM' BEDSTEAD ATTACHED CERVICAL TRACTION NIEANS George Cobb, Burlingame,Calif. Application November 25, 1955, Serial No. 548,946 Claims. (Cl.12S-84) This invention relates to traction devices, and moreparticularly has reference to traction apparatus usable to particularadvantage on hospital beds of the type having portions supporting thehead of the patient which portions are vertically swingable to selectedpositions of adjustment, so that the patient can be supported either ina fully prone position or alternatively, in any of various seatedpositions.

Ordinarily, cervical or neck traction devices are so designed that theline of pull along which the tractive force is exerted will changewhenever the patient is adjusted between prone and seated positions,unless corresponding adjustments of the associated weights are effected.Usually, it is'necessary to restring or reposition the weights toproduce the proper angle, vwhen the hospital bed is adjusted forchanging the patients position and this, of course, is a time-consumingpractice, sometimes involving in addition considerable discomfort so faras the patient is concerned.

Heretofore, cervical traction devices of which I have knowledge have notbeen adapted to automatically retain the proper angle between the lineof force along which the traction is exerted and the plane of theportion of the mattress frame on which the head of the patient issupported, during adjustment of said portion of the mattress frame. Themain object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide agenerally improved cervical traction device that will retain said angleregardless of the position to which the associated portion of the bedframe is swing` ably adjusted.

Another object of importance is to provide a traction device of thecharacter referred to so designed that said angle will be maintained, inselected positions to which the hospital bed is adjusted for changingthe elevation of the patients head, without making it necessary torestring or reposition the weight.

Another object is to provide a cervical traction device as stated whichwill exert the same amount of pull upon the patient in all positions towhich the head-supporting portion of the mattress frame is adjusted.

Still another object of importance is to provide a cervi cal tractiondevice as stated which will be designed to particularly facilitate theadjustment of the angle between the line of pulling force and the planeof the associated part of the mattress frame, with a minimum amount ofdiiculty.

Yet another object is to provide a cervical traction device as describedwhich can be used with any of various conventional hospital beds orequivalent patient-supporting means, without requiring modification orredesign of said beds or other supports.

Still another object of importance is to form the cervical tractiondevice in such a manner as to facilitaterits swift attachment to ordetachment from the associated support.

A further object of importance is to provide a cervical traction deviceas stated which will be of simple construction, will be rugged, and willnevertheless be fully 2,831,482 Patented Apr. v22, 1958 elicient underall circumstances, despite the relatively low cost of the construction.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

` Figure l is a view of a hospital bed partly in side elevation andpartly. in longitudinal section, the traction device constituting thepresent inventionbeing shown in side elevation attached to said bed, thedevice and bed being shown in full lines with the patient supported in aprone position, and in dotted lines with the patient supported in aninclined or semi-sitting position;

' Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cervical traction device per se;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the cervical traction device perse; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through said devicetaken on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

The reference numeral 10 generally designates a conventional hospitalbed having a main frame 12 on which is supported an adjustable frame 14lswingable about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the bed andsupporting the mattress and spring on which the patient lies. The frame14 can be adjusted to a horizontal position shown in full lines inFigure 1, and in this position a patient will be fully prone.Alternatively, the adjustable frame 14 can be adjusted upwardly, as forexample to the dotted line position of Figure l, 'so as to dispose thepatient in a full or semi-sitting position.

The cervical traction device constituting the present invention has beengenerally designated at 16, andas distinguished from prior similardevices of which I have knowledge, is attached directly to thevertically swingable frame 14. The device includes a base bar 18, to therear surface of which is iixedly secured a back plate 20 extending belowthe bottom surface of the base bar so as to cooperate therewith informing a downwardly opening, angular recess receiving the end cross barof the frame 14.

Projecting from the bottom edge of the ilange dened by plate 20 arebrackets 22, and threadable vertically in said brackets are clamp screws24. The brackets 22 extend below the bottom bar 18 of the device, andare capable of being turned upwardly against the cross bar of frame 14,with said end cross bar seated in the angular recess defined at the baseof the device. In this way, the frame of the device is lxedly butremovably secured to the outer end of the vertically adjustable bedframe 14, and is disposed in a plane normal to that of the frame 14.

Fixedly secured at their lower ends to the midlength portion of the basebar 18 are upwardly projecting standyards 26. These are spaced laterallyof one another,

and at their upper ends are xedly connected by a cap plate 28.

The standards 26 are braced in their upright positions by inclined,upwardly converging brace bars 30, xedly connected between the outerends of the base bar 18 and the intermediate portions of the respectivestandards.

The standards delne between them a vertical slot 31, and rotatablymounted in said slot are pulleys 32. The pulleys are spaced uniformlylongitudinally of the standards 26, for use of any selected pulley inobtaining a proper angle along which the line of force is t0 be exertedby the traction device.

Trained about a selected one of the pulleys 32 is a flexible element 34such as a rope, andconnected to one end of saidexible element is aweight 36. A Llshaped guide 3S is lixedly secured to and projectsrearwardly from the base of the device, and rotatably mounted in the`guide 38 is a pulley 4t) overwhich the flexible element is trained.

Connected to the other end of the exible elementris an eye` 42 vformedmedially between the opposite ends of a connecting rod or cross bar-14the ends of which are formed with hook-like or U-shaped extensionsl do,A neck strap or harness generally designated at 48, which per se is ofconventional form, has its ends attached to the extensions 46.

In use of the device, the same is clamped to the frame 14 at the outerend of the frame,`in a plane normal to that of the lframe andparalleling the pivot axis 56 of the frame. The llexible ,element istrained over a selected pulley 32, and is attached to the neck strap 43.The weight 36 is attached to kthe other end of the exible element, aftersaid element has been trained through the guide 38 about pulley 40.Guide 38, as will be understood, prevents the ilexible element fromjumping o the pulley 49 during vertical adjustment of the frame 14.

It will be understood that the purpose of the several pulleys 32 is topermit the tlexible element to extend from the standards 26 to the neckstrap at a selected angle relative to the plane of the frame 14. Saidangle will be selected, of course, according to the particular linesalong which the tractive force is to befexerted.

With the device operatively associated With the neck strap and trarne inthe manner shown in Figure 1, the above mentioned angle will not bechanged regardless of the position to which the frame 1d is adjustedabout its pivot axis 50. Thus, by comparing the full and dotted lineshowings of Figure l, it will be seen that the angle remains unchangedin both of the'two illustrated positions of the frame. In one of saidpositions the patient is fully prone, and in the other position thepatient is in a semi-sitting position.

Swingable adjustment of the frame 14 upwardly from the dotted lineposition, to dispose the patient in a full sitting position, will stillnot have the effect of changing the angle in any way, and as will beunderstood, it

is not necessary to reposition the weight or otherwise adjust the deviceunder these circumstances. The only time when repositioning of theflexible element or Weights is necessary will be that occurring when itis necessary to change the angle or line of force along which thetraction is to be exerted, and this of course has nothing to do with theswingable adjustment of the frame 14.

lt is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily conned tothe specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specic construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carryout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended calims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cervical traction device comprising an opstanding support means;means on the lower end thereof attachable to a vertically swingable bedframe; a iiexible element trained over said support means at a locationspaced upwardly from said lower end; guide means projecting laterallyoutwardly from said lower end, said element being trained over the guidemeans and being spaced thereby laterally from said lower end; a Weightcarried by one end of said flexible element; and a neck strap connectedto the other end of said element.

2. A cervical traction device for mounting upon a bed frame swingableabout a horizontal axis for adjusting the position of a supportedpatient, comprising: a base adapted to extend in contact with saidframe; means on the base for attaching the same xedly to the frame foradjustment conjointly with the frame about the pivot axis of thea-frame;standards projecting upwardly from said base; at least one pulleycarried by the standards; a exible element trained about said pulley;guide means projecting laterally outwardly from the base, saidelement-being trained about the guide means and being spaced therebylaterally from the base; a weight carried by said ilexible element atone end thereof; and a neck strap carriedby the flexible element at theother end thereof.

3. A cervical traction device for attachment to a bed trarne swingaoleabout a horizontal Vaxis to adjust the position of alsupportedY patient,comprising a horizontally t extending base adapted to extend in contactwith said bed frame; means on the base for-removably and xedly attachingsaid base to the bed frame for adjustment conjointly with the bed frameabout said axis thereof; means extending upwardly from the base anddefining a standard thereon; a'wplurality of pulleysspacedlongitudinally of and rotatably mounted upon saidv standard; ailexible elementadapted for being trained about a selected one of saidpulleys; guide means projecting laterally outwardly from the base, saidelement being trained about the guide means-"and being spaced therebylaterally from the base; a weight carried by one end of the tlexibleelement; and a neck strap connected to the other end of said ilexibleelement.

4. A cervical traction device for attachment to a bed frame swingableabout a horizontal axis to adjust the position of a supportedv patient,comprising a horizontally extending base adapted to extend in contactwith said bed frame; means on the base for removably and xedly attachingsaid Vbase to the bed frame for adjustment conjointly with the bed frameabout said axis thereof; means extending upwardly from the base anddefining a standard thereon; a plurality of pulleys spacedlongitudinally of and rotatably mounted upon said standard; a flexibleelement adapted vfor being trained about a selected one of, saidpulleys; guide means projecting laterally outwardly from the base, saidelement being trained about the guide means and being spaced therebylaterally from the base; a weight carried by one end of the liexibleclement; and means connected tov the other end of the flexible elementadapted for attachment to a neck strap.

5. For attachment to a planiform bed frame swingable about a horizontalaxis to adjust the position of a supported patient, a cervical tractiondevice including a support means adapted for projecting upwardly fromsaid frame in a plane normal to the plane of the frame and parallelingthe pivot axis of the frame; means on the support means for fixedly andremovably connecting the same to the frame; a series of pulleysrotatably mounted upon said support means at locations spaced Yvertically along the support means, said pulleys rotatableabouthorizontal axes; a ilexible element trained intermediate its endsabout a selected one of said pulleys; means at one end of said elementfor connecting a neck strap thereto; weight means at the other end ofsaid flexible element; and a guide pulley carried by the support means,said flexible element being trained about said guide pulley and saidguide pulley being spaced outwardly from the series of pulleys so as todispose the flexible element and weight means outwardly from the supportmeans and frame in selected positions to which the frame is adjustedabout the pivot axis thereof.

IReferences Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 730,253Gorham lune 9, 1903 2,186,036 Peachy Jan. 9, 1940 2,674,996 Stowell etal Apr. 13, 1954 2,718,886 Sutton Sept. 27, 1955

